Friday, 5 April 2013

*** When someone offers you a slice of cake, it’s pretty hard to refuse, so when I received an email from Raw Nibbles asking if I’d like to review one of their products, it was a done deal!

You may have noticed that I haven’t been reviewing products very much lately, on my blog. There’s a simple explanation for this – I am very picky now, which I hope is a good thing.Emails regularly drop into the Cheeky Spouse inbox from PR companies, in a bid to get me interested in reviewing various products for them (for free, I might add!), but I’m always looking for things that are a little less mainstream in favour of something different.

Raw Nibbles products certainly fit the bill. They’re from a (very) small Norfolk company, made by hand in small batches and everything is raw. I don’t know much about gourmet raw food and I am making an effort to learn, I promise you, but what I do know is, that it isn’t just carrot sticks!

Up for the test was a Raw Caramel Slice. It looks just like a gorgeous hunk of Millionaires Shortbread but there’s no butter in there and being dairy free it is perfect for vegans.You don’t miss the butter though as the biscuity base is rich and nutty tasting that more than makes up for that.

On top of the biscuit is the caramel, all oozing and soft, just as it should be, but not made from cane or beet sugar, as you would expect. I noticed the ingredients list contains coconut sugar, agave nectar and dates, so I suspect that is what gives the sweetness and toffee-like flavour. Clever stuff!

The final layer is raw ‘milk’ chocolate. Again, no dairy. Raw chocolate isn’t so strange and the more types I’ve tasted, I’ve found it to be extremely delicious with such a smooth texture that doesn’t cling to the tongue – an altogether pleasant sensation.

That generous hunk, which was enough for two to share, most definitely gets a thumbs up and I’m not even a vegetarian/vegan. Even the most ardent dairy lover wouldn’t miss the butter, cream or milk.

Could these type of raw food indulgences be the way forward to treating yourself more healthily? I’ll let you decide after you’ve had a look at the Raw Nibbles website www.rawnibbles.co.uk

A Little Bit About Me

I've been an avid collector of recipes over the years – mostly from books and magazines, but also from family and friends too.
I make no claims to being a perfect chef, but the people who eat what I cook, invariably, leave the table happy and satisfied.
Whilst I haven't yet extensively travelled the world, a comfy sofa, the internet and piles of books full of beautiful photographs, have served me well in gaining some knowledge and experience of other countries and their cuisine.

Desserts & Puddings

Miscellaneous

How To

Tasty Tips

MAKE WASHING-UP EASIER: After you've chopped meat or fish or used eggs or flour in your food processor, rinse out with cold water first, before immersing in hot. This stops the remnants from cooking on, making cleaning easier.

GET THE MOST FROM CITRUS ZEST: Grate the zest directly into the bowl, in which you are mixing your ingredients, as this will catch all the oils that burst from the skin, giving maximum flavour.

USE CLING FILM TO ROLL OUT PASTRY: Put one piece on your work surface, dust with flour, place dough on top and dust with flour again. Put another piece of cling film over it and roll away. Stops it from sticking and makes everything so much easier to clear up afterwards.

INVEST IN A SET OF MEASURING SPOONS: A teaspoon is only a teaspoon by name – with correctly sized spoons specifically for the purpose, you'll never get it wrong again.